Recording of Taft talking about abolishment of war and a strong US

My favorite part is when he talks about a lack of entanglements as one of our greatest assets in assuring peace. Maybe our entanglements all across the world is a reason why we've never seen a day without armed conflict in so many years.

reply to post by snusfanatic


Indeed. This was, for a long time, the prevailing view in America. That foreign entanglements and superficial alliances lead to wars of aggression, lead to the destruction of lives, lead to corrupt government. This has been my position for a long time. I want America to win whatever war we're involved in, but i don't want America to go to war for whatever reason one can come up with that would make the whole thing legal-ish...

Any government who would commit it's young to war for the profit of a few is too big, too corrupt, and in need of a good cleansing.

Thomas Jefferson's foreign policy...We did not listen.

There are to many quotes to post so please read them at this website: etext.virginia.edu...

To sum it up, "I am for free commerce with all nations, political connection with none, and little or no diplomatic establishment. And I am not for linking ourselves by new treaties with the quarrels of Europe, entering that field of slaughter to preserve their balance, or joining in the confederacy of Kings to war against the principles of liberty."

"We wish not to meddle with the internal affairs of any country, nor with the general affairs of Europe. Peace with all nations, and the right which that gives us with respect to all nations, are our object."

"I know, too, that it is a maxim with us, and I think it a wise one, not to entangle ourselves with the affairs of Europe. Still, I think we should know them."

"Let the general government be reduced to foreign concerns only, and let our affairs be disentangled from those of all other nations except as to commerce, which the merchants will manage the better, the more they are left free to manage for themselves, and our general government may be reduced to a very simple organization and a very inexpensive one; a few plain duties to be performed by a few servants."

"The successful example of recalling nations to the practice of justice by peaceable appeals to their interests, will doubtless have salutary effects on our future course."

"The fundamental principle of our government [is] never to entangle us with the broils of Europe."

The decision made by Woodrow Wilson, to ignore Jefferson and get involved with the European conflict forever changed the course of history.

I had no idea what Taft stood for, it seems Wilson ignored him as well, it is a shame really, violence begets violence and even some of the problems going on right now in the Middle East can be traced back to that decision.